Oceans and seas: Commission sets a new
vision for Integrated Maritime Policy

The European Commission is today publishing a Green Paper entitled,
“Towards a future Maritime Policy for the Union: A European vision for the
oceans and seas” asking citizens how they want to deal with oceans and
seas and launching one of the largest consultation exercise in the EU’s
history. The audition responds to a growing awareness both of the vital role
which the sea already plays as a driver of Europe’s prosperity, and of its
potential for providing more jobs and greater well-being. The results of this
exercise will help the Commission define a new vision for an Integrated Maritime
Policy.

The main question asked by the Green Paper is: can Europe afford to manage
its seas and oceans in a sectoral, unconnected, way? Or has the time come to
establish a truly integrated Maritime Policy which will release untapped
potential in terms of growth and jobs while strengthening the protection of the
marine environment? And if so, how should we go about it?

Commission President José Manuel Barroso, who initiated the process
said: “Europe has long benefited from its maritime activities. However,
much more could be made of our seas and oceans to increase the prosperity and
well being of European citizens. Today’s Green Paper gives us all the
opportunity to put our heads together to see how best to do it. I encourage
everyone to have their say on how they see a future maritime policy for the
Union which would boost jobs while protecting the marine environment”.

“As our maritime activities increase and diversify so does the need for
coordination and planning so as to avoid conflict and optimise our returns from
the sea. An all-embracing approach would allow us to combine economic growth
with effective protection of the marine environment and greater stakeholder
participation. This is a project where Member States, regions, industry, NGOs
and the public all have an interest in finding the best way ahead in our future
relation with the sea” Joe Borg, European Commissioner for Fisheries and
Maritime Affairs said.

Transport, shipping, trade, coastal and port-based industries, off-shore,
traditional and alternative energies, fisheries, aquaculture, marine research,
tourism,– countless areas of human activity often affect one another and
can have an impact on our oceans and the quality of the life they help sustain.
Yet too often, the sectors which impact on the maritime environment operate
independently – each has its own structures, embodies its own culture and
vision, and is run according to its own rules. Yet they all depend on the same
resource.

The Green Paper seeks to highlight the interconnections and interdependence
of these different domains – the linkages which are often ignored by
existing procedures. It points out how, for example, the development of port
infrastructure has to be weighed against the protection of local ecosystems, the
promotion of coastal aquaculture and tourism development, as well as on the
benefits of economic growth through foreign trade. It shows how fishing vessels,
container ships, pleasure boats, oil companies and wind farms, for example, have
to jostle for position in our increasingly crowded waters. It also underlines
the fact that this convergence of myriad different issues is not the exception,
but the norm, for it reflects the underlying wealth and diversity of
Europe’s seas.

The question is asked: is it really possible to continue to manage and
develop all these different and frequently overlapping activities independently
of one another? Or has not the time now come for Europe to invest in a truly
integrated policy approach, if we are to succeed in creating a vibrant and
sustainable maritime economy for the 21st century, and beyond?

The Green Paper comes from a Commission decision taken in March 2005 to
launch a consultation on the future of Europe’s seas. President Barroso
asked Commissioner Borg “to steer a maritime task force with the aim of
launching a wide consultation on a future maritime policy for the Union”.
The Green Paper is the result of a collective effort, based on intense and
fruitful cooperation between seven Commissioners. In addition to Mr Borg: Mr
Verheugen, responsible for Enterprise and Industry, Mr Barrot: Transport, Mr
Dimas: Environment, Mrs Hübner: Regional Policy, Mr Potocnik: Research and
Mr Pieblags: Energy. Other Commissioners also participated when the discussions
dealt with subjects linked to their portfolios.

The issues raised in the Green Paper will be debated in a number of events
organised in various Member States.To find out more about the public events
where these issues will be discussed, and about how to contribute to the debate,
please go to: